Education Minister Kim Jin-pyo offered to resign on Friday, holding himself responsible for this month's massive outbreak of food poisoning at local schools.
"I deeply apologize for the food poisoning incident and policy confusion related to the high school admission system," Kim told reporters, expressing his intention to step down from the Cabinet post.
His decision followed the food poisoning that occurred since June 16 at 36 schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The incident has thus far caused 3,043 students to have nausea, diarrhea, stomachaches and fever.
Among them, 2,889 have recovered completely and 148 are still receiving hospital treatment, with six hospitalized, the Education Ministry said. The government has yet to find the exact cause of the massive food poisoning outbreak.
According to a source at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, Kim Byong-joon, formerly chief presidential secretary for national policy, will likely be named new education minister in a partial Cabinet reshuffle expected during next week.
"The Cabinet reshuffle could come early next week at the earliest, possibly affecting three ministries," the Cheong Wa Dae source said, adding that Minister of Finance and Economy Han Duck-soo and Minister of Planning and Budget Byeon Yang-kyoon could be replaced.
He said Kwon O-kyu, who was appointed in late May as chief secretary to President Roh Moo-hyun for national policy, could be named the new finance and economy minister.
Minister of Planning and Budget Byeon will likely be named to Kwon's post, while Chang Byung-wan, vice minister of planning and budget, could be promoted to the Cabinet post, the source said.
Seoul, June 30 (Yonhap News)
Education minister offers to resign over food poisoning incident at schools |
